The Reading Vent & Rant Thread

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by Renate

Renate salaciously leafs through RTL Cookbook (SFW).

SFW, but is it SFE (Safe for ereader)? All PDFs?

Oh, nostalgia.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Maybe the reviews and blurbs have occasionally been done by sockpuppets and bots for years?

While a healthy dose of skepticism is a good thing, I think suspicions that bots are posting two-star reviews on Goodreads are farfetched. What would be the point? And especially for the types of books I like to read. I've already said I'm not interested in positive reviews unless they're by those I know, so I feel reasonably confident that I'm immune to review manipulation.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by issybird

While a healthy dose of skepticism is a good thing, I think suspicions that bots are posting two-star reviews on Goodreads are farfetched. What would be the point? And especially for the types of books I like to read. I've already said I'm not interested in positive reviews unless they're by those I know, so I feel reasonably confident that I'm immune to review manipulation.

Yabbut, lots of folks are NOT immune to it.

Hitch

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by issybird

While a healthy dose of skepticism is a good thing, I think suspicions that bots are posting two-star reviews on Goodreads are farfetched. What would be the point? And especially for the types of books I like to read. I've already said I'm not interested in positive reviews unless they're by those I know, so I feel reasonably confident that I'm immune to review manipulation.

I was thinking of 5 star ones, sometimes for things not even released yet. Certainly not 2 to 4 star. 1 stars for the competitors.

[DiapDealer]

Even with a very good, plot-related reason for doing so, having a Jayne character and a Jane character is a terrible idea. The audiobook version will make it very clear why.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Even with a very good, plot-related reason for doing so, having a Jayne character and a Jane character is a terrible idea. The audiobook version will make it very clear why.

Yes, stories can't be like real life. Here you might have 3 or 4 Tonys, Marys or Michaels in a small office with people of a certain age. Or a bunch of Meave / Méabh / Maébh in one office.
But Tony and Mary (and all the variations) were once very popular in Limerick.
At least in Wales they'll have Jones the Post, Jones the Butcher, Jones the Minster etc. Or Owen or Evan.

I know lots of people with the same pronunciation of name but spelled differently. It doesn't easily work in a book and total fail in audio book or radio.

[theducks]

Popular names will always be confusing... Anyplace.
I was installing new cash registers at a Super Market and we were having issues.
Someone called for 'Steve'

The Cashier turned
The guy from the stores head office turned
The Electrician turned
The Software guy from our company turned
and I turned (hardware guy)

Even my High School Electric shop class (15 students), had 3 Steves

An Audio performance just need distinct voices when similar names )obviously no simple TTS)

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by theducks

An Audio performance just need distinct voices when similar names

But so rarely get such.

As I said, this was no simple common-name, or similar name, occurrence. Jayne/Jane was a purposeful plot-related thing. A man named Jayne was reacquainted (after a 15 year absence) to a woman who had a 15 year-old daughter she'd named Jane. Jayne was the last to figure out what was obvious to everyone else. Hilarity tried to ensue.

Reading it with your eyes, there is no problem. But dialogue similar to "Jayne/Jane don't...", or "Jayne/Jane said...", or "what's on your mind Jayne/Jane?" just doesn't work well with the one narrator that most audiobooks get. It's not a passing thing. The two characters are involved in various dialogues throughout the book. The narrator tries to vary his voice for different characters, but it's not that helpful since it's often a woman who's addressing Jayne, or a man who's addressing Jane (and the two characters are often together conversing with a group).

[Aleron Ives]

Books are meant to be read. If your book doesn't work well as an audiobook, then don't release an audiobook version. In the case of Jayne/Jane, it sounds like an important aspect of the plot for that particular book, such that the characters can't be renamed without impacting the symbolic significance of the story, in which case the fact that it doesn't work well as an audiobook is just tough. Some artistic choices are only relevant in a particular medium and don't translate well across formats.

[Quoth]

Jayne is always a girl's name here.
Jay a man
Jaye a woman

Seems a bit weak. Now if he was Hilary and everyone called him Hill, Hilly or Larry as a nickname it would work better, for plot and audiobook.

Or Steve from Stephen and girl was Stephanie (or even Steffi or Stevie as nickname). Jayne and Jane isn't the only choice.

[ownedbycats]

On today's episode of 'confusing Goodreads reviews'

[isarl]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

On today's episode of 'confusing Goodreads reviews'

Attachment 201619

Hopefully they remembered their impression of it accurately enough to justify the two stars, at least!

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

On today's episode of 'confusing Goodreads reviews'

Attachment 201619

More like Confused Goodreads Reviewers, wouldn't you agree?

Hitch

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Reading it with your eyes, there is no problem. But dialogue similar to "Jayne/Jane don't...", or "Jayne/Jane said...", or "what's on your mind Jayne/Jane?" just doesn't work well with the one narrator that most audiobooks get. It's not a passing thing. The two characters are involved in various dialogues throughout the book.

After fifteen minutes or so, you must have been yelling "Ja(y)ne, stop this crazy thing!"

[DiapDealer]

"Ruh roh, Ra(y)ne"